Its time
by NyanJai
Summary: Castiel has a special job to do, and it is time he saw an old friend...


The man paused to read the sign. "Shady oaks retirement home" he said to himself, thoughtfully. He looks at the entrance, stealing himself up for the task ahead of him. Going through the door into a large room containing chairs and smelling of cheap air freshener, he walks towards a larger door at the opposite side of the room. "May I help you?" a woman's voice says from behind him. Turning round he sees the owner of the voice sat behind a desk that he hadn't noticed in his haste. "Yes, I am here to visit Dean. Dean Winchester. I am informed this is where he is. So I have come to see him. Here" He gives a smile to try and reassure the woman, who is giving him what he is sure is a puzzled look. He still can never tell properly with humans,especially ones he doesn't know.

The woman behind the desk raises her eyebrows slightly at this odd man with the odd grin who is staring at her. "No one has ever visited Mr Winchester in the years he has been here. In fact we only guessed that was who he was due to an old drivers license that was found in the wreckage of the car. Turned up in the hospital in just the clothes on his back but no memory poor soul." She put on a pair of spectacles as she turned to the computer "May I take your name?"

"Um Cas...Jimmy...Jimmy Novak" replied Castiel. As he started saying Castiel, he realised it wasn't the usual name that humans tended to have. He would have to use the name of his vessel. The woman finished typing the information into her computer. "OK, if you would just like to follow me Mr Novak I will take you down to Mr Winchesters room. Normally the residents are in here during the day" she said gesturing to the room filled with elderly people watching a television "but he is very much a loner" Castiel nodded "So you say he has never had any visitors? What about his brother?" The woman looked at him "as I said before we have no information on him. We put his details out to find any family but nobody ever came forward for him. He doesn't talk either so he never gave any clues on his life before he came here. Probably due to memory loss the Doctor said, he has certainly never shown any recognition of anything. Judging by the injuries he had an almighty bang on the head" She stopped outside a door with the number 7 on it and knocked on the door. "Mr Winchester, you have company." No answer came so the nurse opened the door slowly and peered round it.

"Okay Mr Novak he is awake, you can go in. He is staring out of the window, he does that a lot but maybe your visit will be good for him. I will pop down in half an hour to see how you are doing. Maybe fetch you a drink?" Castiel smiled in what he thought was an encouraging way, and opened the door

As he walked in, he saw an old man sat staring apathetically out of the window. He was dressed in casual clothes, that Castiel suspected the Dean he had known would of hated, a patterned woollen jumper with some misshapen sweat pants. He sat in the chair next to Dean, wondering how to broach the subject he had come to discuss, and hoping to be done by the time the nurse was due to return. "Dean..."

The old man turned to look at him and Castiel was stunned to see the change in Deans face. Heavy lines covered the face and the eyes once full of pain but alive and alert were dull green and half closed. On seeing the angels face the eyes widened somewhat, as if recognising the face a mere few inches from his. Castiel still hadn't learnt the importance of personal space.

Placing his hand on Deans left shoulder, it was as if the touch burned him, like when the angel pulled him from hell. The green eyes opened and seemed to blaze as he lifted a hand and rested it on the angels face. "Cas..." the voice came out as barely a whisper. "Yes Dean. I have come here on an important mission today." The blue eyes, now sad met the green ones "In the scheme of things it is your time..." Castiel paused as the face in front of him nodded with the understanding of the words. "I wanted to be the one to greet you. I called in a favour so to speak. A friendly face.

I have been looking for you for a long time Dean, I couldn't sense you. Only when you appeared on the list was I able to do so."

"Sammy?"

"He died Dean."

The old mans face slumped and he bowed his head,eyes closed. "I didn't save you Sammy. I'm so sorry" He whispered, and there was real pain in Deans voice, his hands clenched so tight the knuckles were white

"He is in heaven, He died in the accident. He doesn't want you to blame yourself, its not your fault"

Castiel glanced at the clock on the wall " You will see him again..it is nearly time. First you must come with me" The angel held out his hand. "It won't hurt, I promise you"

A short while later the nurse opened the door to find Dean Winchester, head on his left shoulder a smile on his face with a lone tear running down his cheek. He had died quickly as his spirit left with Castiel, as he commented with a smirk after all he had faced that he should die of old age. And now he was in the Impala racing down a dusty road on his way to greet Sam once again.


End file.
